


The Party, a murder mystery.

by AspiringAuthorEmberCelica



Series: The Party [1]
Category: Original Work, Val-ley, Valley - Fandom
Genre: Existing Universe, Gen, Murder Mystery, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:13:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23793661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AspiringAuthorEmberCelica/pseuds/AspiringAuthorEmberCelica
Summary: Rosalia Dores receives an invitation to a party. Little does she know, that by the end of it, not everyone makes it out alive. (This is a story set in the fictional universe of Halla, a world connected to Earth. I do not own Halla, only parts of it that this story takes place in. This story is fairly standalone, with only small references to things in universe, which are explained.)
Series: The Party [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1714177
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1, or the introduction of the large cast of partygoers.

The year was 5664 TIC, in late October. Rosalia Dores had just been invited to a party, hosted by Alder Gray. The invite read:  
“You are cordially invited to the party of Alder Gray, concerning his large fortune. RSVP as soon as possible. This will be hosted on October 31, and may last several days more.”  
This had interested the young Inseta/Válto girl, who, like many others, had heard of Gray’s large fortune. He had gotten it legitimately, investing carefully. There was no reason to list a location, as everyone knew where the Gray manor was. A large building on the floating city of Föváros, it towered over all buildings in the area. Rosalia was intrigued by the offer, and decided to RSVP. After all, who knew what would happen during the party?  
\----------------------------------

The days passed, and eventually the fateful day arrived. She packed her things, and a change of clothes. She decided to dress up fancy, grabbing a nice suit that complimented her purple skin and hair. She threw on her mother’s military jacket, and headed off to the house.  
However, when she stepped out of her small apartment, a large hovering limousine was waiting outside. A sign in the door read: “For Rosalia Dores/Miss Lavender.”. With a healthy mixture of apprehension and excitement, she entered the limo. There did not appear to be a driver, however there was another passenger in the car. A tall woman, with bright orange hair tied up into a ponytail behind her. The new person had a long red dress on, matching her hair. She looked at Rosalia with her red and gray eyes, which seemed to glow in the car light. Another heterochromatic, Rosalia thought. The new girl smiled, and stuck out her pale skinned hand. Rosalia shook it, and smiled back. She stepped into the limo, and the door closed behind her. The car was nicely furnished, with a drink cooler and snack bar, as well as a pamphlet next to her. It was labeled: “For Rosalia’s eyes only.”. She picked it up, and read through it.

“As you know, you have been invited to a party. However, no one is to know each other’s name. Instead, you will be given a codename of Miss Lavender. More details will be explained in the future.”

“So, Miss Lavender, is it?” the girl next to her asked.

“You read my pamphlet??”

“Yep! I suppose an introduction is in order. My name is Nio! A pleasure to meet you.”  
Rosalia glared over at Nio. Nio smiled back at her, and performed a mock curtsy while sitting down.

“So, no color naming? Wouldn’t you be Miss.. I don’t know, Red?”

“Nah, that’s dumb. So I came up with a name of my own! Besides, this isn’t even my real hair color.”

“So, why hitch a ride in this car? Wouldn’t you have one of your own?”

“I would, if I was technically invited. Unfortunately, no one bothered to invite me, so, alas, I have to ride share. You don’t mind, do you Miss Lavender?”

“You… you weren’t invited?”

“Nope! Don’t worry, I’m not gonna hurtcha!”

“...Alright. Please don’t.”

Rosalia moved away from Nio as much as she could, while Nio was fiddling with her hair. The rest of the car ride was in tense silence as the cold Autumn air blew across the trees outside.  
\------------------------------------  
Eventually, however, the self driving car managed to make its way to the manor. It was a large victorian styled manor, with a large gate outside. The security of the place was famous for how deceiving it looked. Even if you wanted, you couldn’t break into it. Or out of it. Why did she think that? There would be no need to try and escape…. right? The gate opened, as the limo floated up to the entrance. After that, the doors opened, as both Rosalia and Nio stepped out. The front doors of the house seemed to be open, and soft music could be heard from inside the house. Up close, the house resembled many old gothic style houses from Earth,  
however Rosalia knew that all of the details were inside the house.

“After you, Miss Lavender.”

Rosalia entered the house.  
\---------------------------------------  
Nio stood outside the house for a minute. She had a job to do. She walked around the entrance of the house, taking note of where all the windows were. She then went around to the back, and observed the back door. As she thought, it was a heavy metal door. She tested the strength of it by punching it. She rubbed her hand out of instinct, and hoped that he wouldn’t be too mad. She then went around again to the front, and entered the house.  
\----------------------------------------  
The foyer of the house was a large room, with an elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There were a set of stairs heading up, and two doors leading further into the house. Over by one, there sat a sign saying: “All party guests, go this way.”. Rosalia went through that door. Nio went through the other.  
\----------------------------------------  
Rosalia entered into what she could only assume to be the dining room. There was a large round wooden table with ten chairs, stacked to the brim with food. There sat a few people eating. She made a mental note to eat later, and decided to look around. In the kitchen, there were two other girls who appeared to be talking. She decided to walk over, as they looked friendly enough. One of which has short red hair and a white suit and glasses, and the other has pink hair tied back into two long braids, and a black suit with a white undershirt. She also had glasses, however hers didn’t actually appear to have any lenses. The shorter pink haired girl seemed to be constantly fidgeting with a necklace she wore, and the two appeared to be in a discussion.

“Like I said, luck does exist!” the pink haired girl replied, in a soft posh british accent, to something Rosalia hadn’t heard.

“Luck doesn’t exist. Anything ‘luck’ can be attributed to can be attributed to statistics.” the redhead seemed to have had this discussion before, speaking in a bored tone of voice.

“I know luck exists, otherwise I wouldn’t be alive. It saved my life! Who are you?” the pink haired girl turned to face Rosalia.

“I am Miss Lavender, a pleasure to meet you both!”

“I am Mrs. Jade! I know I should probably be called Mrs. Pink, but, well, that would be too obvious.”

“I am technically supposed to say my name is Miss Red, but my actual name is Elise Fortuna, though you could have guessed.”

It was true, everyone knew who Elise was. She was one of the most famous Velikian nobles, being one of the most charitable and kind.

“So, Mrs. Jade. Are you married?” Rosalia inquired.

“I am, yes. My significant other couldn’t be here, as they were a bit busy tonight. Poor Aera, they must be so lonely.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you, but I should probably introduce myself to everyone else.” 

Rosalia curtsied, and then walked over to the large table. It seemed to be made of a mixture of mahogany and stone, intricately carved. There were three people sitting there, eating. A Spóra girl with red hair tied into one large braid, a young man in a blue pirate’s outfit with curly brown hair, and a human girl with probably the weirdest hair colour she saw all night, a soft teal. The odd girl had a red cloak with a white dress, and seemed to be observing Rosalia as much as she was observing her. 

“Hi… um.. My name is Miss Lavender, it is a pleasure to meet you!”

“My name is Ms. Teal. A pleasure.” the blue haired girl replied bluntly, although Rosalia could tell there is no malice.

“Ey! I'm Mr. Navy. Pleasure to meet ya! I'm one of the best gadgeteers in Velikiy. Hope you eventually commission me!” the curly haired weirdo replied while fiddling with his hat.

Finally, the Spóra girl simply smiled. “Miss Green. My real name is Íde Aileas.”

“…Alright! Nice to meet you all! I'm going to introduce myself to everyone else now!”

Mr. Navy gave a thumbs up, as Rosalia walked off. There was another room adjacent to the dining room, a large semi outdoor space with an open roof. There were three more people inside. A pure white Válto, a second man Rosalia thought was the most normal looking man in a suit, and a blue haired woman. She went over to them, and introduced herself. The Válto was named Mr. White, the normal man was named Mr. Purple, and the girl was Ms. Blue. In the outdoors courtyard, Rosalia felt at peace. Until, unfortunately, Nio showed up. 

“Who are you?” asked Mr. Purple.

“I'm a partycrasher! My name is Nio.”

“Are you even allowed to be here?” Mr. White inquired.

“Nope!”

That was the end of that conversation, as the dinner bell rang out, loud enough for everyone to hear. Rosalia walked back to the dining room, to see a chair with her name on it. She sat down, watching everyone sit in their marked chair. Nio simply stood by the wall, watching. Rosalia noticed a slip of paper in front of her. She reached out to grab it, but the man of the hour walked in. A tall man with gray hair, Mr. Gray walked into the room. He was wearing an outfit that can only be described as: “Evil video game chancellor.”. He took a seat at the last  
open slot, and smiled.

“Hello everyone. As I'm sure you know, my name is Mr. Gray. Although you may not know why, you have all been gathered here for a specific purpose. We are going to play a game. In front of all… well except you at the back, Miss?”

“Nio. My name is Nio.”

“Miss Nio, I'm afraid I didn't prepare for you. I'm dreadfully sorry.”

“It's ok. I don't even have a secret, so it's not like you could have prepped one for me.”

“…well. Way to spoil the surprise. Yes, in front of all of you is the greatest and most well kept secret about you. Feel free to read them.”  
\---------------------------  
Nio watched as everyone picked up the secret in front of them. She was making sure to watch everyone and their reaction to the note. Mr. Gray read his to himself, and pocketed it. Rosalia looked at hers with bafflement. Elise just chuckled to herself, and wrote something down in a notebook to herself. Mrs. Jade seemed to be in abject terror from the note, poor thing. The rest seemed annoyed, but fine with their secrets. A few seemed puzzled, but no other reaction. Miss Blue seemed to be apologetic.almost, looking over at Nio. She shrugged. She wasn't upset, it was no big deal.  
\-------------------------------  
Rosalia wanted to throw up. What did this mean?

“As you know, I've compiled these secrets. The game we are going to play is something of a murder mystery. By the end of the week, I will be dead. One of you will have killed me. If you do not figure this out, all of these secrets will be released.”

“And why should someone kill you? If you don't die, none of these secrets will be released.” Oddly enough, the person who piped up was not who she expected. Elise seemed confused by this whole mess when she asked.

“Excellent question Miss Red. The person who kills me will gain all of my material possessions, as well as my full amount of money. 1,000,000,000 pieces.”

The whole room fell into silence. 

“If you find who murdered me, they will not gain that money. Instead, it will be divided up between those still left. If not, well… all your secrets will be revealed, and the killer goes free.”

“…and how long do we have to kill you?” Miss Green asked. 

“You all will be trapped in here for one week. Each of you has a room upstairs. Good luck.”

At that, Mr. Gray walked away from the dinner table, leaving everyone else in silence. 

However, Elise spoke up.  
“If anyone wants to trade secrets with me, mine is really easy to figure out. I'm not going to try and hide it, so if you want, take the original slip of paper to me. I'll be in the study.” Elise walked out of the room after that.

There was a study?? That would have to wait. There was no way that Rosalia would trade secrets with anyone. She didn't trust them as far as she could throw them. She had terrible arm strength. Mr. Purple got up, and headed to the study along with Miss Teal. A few of the others, including Miss Green, Miss Blue, Mrs. Jade, and Mr. Navy, headed upstairs. That left Nio, Mr. White, and herself in the dining room.

“Well, as far as parties go, this is certainly one of the better ones I've attended.” Nio quipped.

“This isn't the time for humor. It's the time for strategizing.” Mr. White replied.  
Rosalia secretly agreed with him. This was no laughing matter. A man's life was in danger, and so it seems everyone else's if she heard it right. It will be divided up by everyone left. That was worrisome to Rosalia. Would someone risk killing someone else just to get a better share of the money? But she couldn't think of that right now. She needed to rest. She made her way upstairs, and found the room with a pixel version of her face on it. Inside the room was a bed, a dresser, a small bathroom, and a table with a key on it. The key to the room, she figured. She locked her door, and tried to sleep.  
\----------------------------  
She woke up the next morning feeling unrested. Every part of her body was stiff, and she was sore. She knew what happened last night needed to be taken care of, but first, breakfast. She went downstairs, and saw that Mr. Purple was in the kitchen. He was making eggs, and gave her a plate full of them. She ate them quickly, and set about trying to find out what everyone was doing. She found Elise in the study, a room to the right of the entrance. She seemed to be reading the notebook she carried around, mumbling to herself.

“Oh! Hello…” Elise seemed to be flipping through the pages. “Miss Lavender! How are you this fine afternoon!” 

“I'm good. Why are you so chipper today, did they find a way out?”

“Oh no, they didn't. Sadly the gate is locked, and there's no way to climb it. The wall is too high and slick sadly. Was funny to watch them try.”

“Oh. Find anything interesting that you wrote?”

“Very funny. No, I haven't. Just wanted to… make sure everything was in order. See if there was anything odd. Nothing yet. Now go, there's lots more to explore!”

Rosalia reluctantly walked away, and set about trying to find everyone else. Eventually, she found a garden, where she saw Nio and Mr. Navy talking. They seemed to be engrossed in conversation, so she just watched. 

She didn't notice Miss Teal slide up next to her. “You do a lot of people watching?” Rosalia asked.

“Only when I think they might kill each other.”

“Oh? And do you think they will kill each other? Have some faith in humanity.”

“I've always felt that term is vaguely speciesist. What about you?”

“Eh, it could be. Not too worried about that honestly.”

“Fair.” 

The two sat back, watching them talk, until eventually the dinner bell rang again. Everyone in the garden jumped at the sudden noise, but they headed back there. Mr. Gray looked alive, and quite disappointed.

“And here I thought that I would be dead by now. No one has even tried yet. Although I suppose this food could be poisoned. Thank you Mr. Purple for doing this for us, by the way. I appreciate it.”

Mr Purple nodded, as they all ate together. The silence was deafening, but no one dared to break the silence. Eventually, everyone finished eating, and one by one headed up to their room. Rosalia passed out within seconds of falling asleep.  
\-----------------------------  
Rosalia awoke to banging on her door. 

“WAKE UP! SOMEONE'S DEAD!” Mr. White's voice called out. Rosalia jumped out of bed, and ran out the door.

“You're the last one up! To the… open roof room?!”

They ran there quickly, to see a bunch of people standing over a body. To Rosalia’s surprise, Mr. Gray was also standing there. If he wasn't dead, then who was it?

Surrounded by everyone, laid the dead body of Cat Quinlan, also known as Mr. Purple.


	2. Chapter 2, or the investigations and trial of the death of one Mr. Purple.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has murdered Mr. Purple. It's up to the partygoers to figure out who.

Rosalia Dores couldn’t believe it. Mr. Purple was dead. Someone had actually killed someone. But why?? Why him? 

“So. Who gets the fortune?” asked Mr. White.

“No one, yet. I am still alive after all.” Mr. Gray responded.

“Oh.”

“Why did someone kill-” Elise asked, but was cut off by Miss Teal.

“So. Someone is dead. I think it’s only fair we investigate, and figure out what happened to this poor man. Who here can perform an autopsy? We need to split up. Pairs of two. No one can be alone. Divide into pairs, and investigate. I will stay here with the person who does the autopsy, and investigate the crime scene.”

Mrs. Jade raised her hand. “I… I can figure out what the cause of death was. I have a sigil that can identify… objects and how they were damaged.”

“Then it’s settled. Pair up, and search for evidence. Mrs. Jade, whenever you are ready.”

As if on cue, everyone found a partner. Nio and Elise teamed up, Mr. White and Mr. Gray, Miss Blue and Miss Green, and finally, Rosalia and Mr. Navy.

“Is this your first investigation?” she asked her partner.

“I suppose it is. Where should we start?”

“...The deceased’s room. It’s the easiest place to look for clues.”

“Wouldn’t it be locked?”

“Not if you already swiped the key off of the body.”

“HOW?”

“I have a unique set of talents.”

\----------------------------------------  
Upon entering Mr. Purple’s room, Rosalia noticed a few differences. For one, next to the bed, there was a large chemical kit. In addition, there was a note on the bed. 

“Navy, read the note. I’ll check out the supplies.”

“On it.”

Navy went over to the bed, and began to read to himself. Rosalia investigated the chemical supply kit. She noticed it was full of odd liquids. One was a medicine, and there were a bunch of unlabeled vials. One of which was half full with a clear green liquid, and one empty marked with an “A”.

“Take a look at this note, Lavender.”

She went over to the bed, and started to read.  
\------------------------------------------  
Nio and Elise explored the study next to the open-roofed room. There wasn’t much of note, a bunch of books, but otherwise there did not appear any clues. 

“A dead end, eh?” Nio seemed rather upbeat for this murder.

“What are you doing? Why did you even pair up with me?” Elise responded, in regards to Nio throwing some books on the ground.

“Testing a theory, and I wanted to catch up with you! It’s been forever!”

“I don’t know you. We’ve never met before this… party.”

“See, I disagree with you there. You don’t remember me, sis?” Nio continued to throw more books on the ground, but then stopped at a book. She pulled it, as the bookcase moved with it. Behind the bookcase, there was a long metal tunnel.

“...R?”

“Yep. Pleasure to see you again, Z. Shall we continue onwards?”

“Let’s go.”  
\----------------------------------------------  
Miss Green was exploring the kitchen and the dining room with Miss Blue. She always felt calm around Miss Blue. She should investigate that further. 

“Miss Blue, why do you insist on checking the kitchen?”

“A hunch. I think, and this is a large guess, but I think that there is a reason Mr. Purple was cooking last night.”

“What, do you think that he poisoned us?”

“No. I hope against hope that he didn’t. But I think there was a reason he was targeted, and not Mr. Gray.”

Miss Green didn’t find anything odd in the dining area, so she went over to the kitchen. Miss Blue was rummaging around in the dishes, looking for something. She pulled out a pan, and grimaced. She showed it to Miss Green, showing a green residue on the bottom of the main pan. 

“I think we found out why.”  
\--------------------------------------------------  
Mr. White was exploring with Mr. Gray, over by the foyer and entrance. There was nothing out there, but he might as well look around. He couldn’t find anything, until Mr. Gray pointed out something.

“You see those prints in the ground?” Mr, White looked at the ground, seeing some small footprints. 

“Do we know who these fit?”

“No, unfortunately. It looks like maybe one of the girls, but I can’t tell.”

“You know who the most likely candidate is? It’s Nio. She crashed the party. No one knows who she is!”

Mr. Gray only smiled.  
\-----------------------------------------------------  
Miss Jade had an unusual discovery. The body was killed by a small knife, stabbed repeatedly. There were no other visible injuries, except for one. Unfortunately, she had no way of identifying it just yet. The body was killed in the middle of the night, and seemed to be caught fairly off guard. There were no signs of a struggle. Make no mistake, this was a murder.  
\-----------------------------------------------------  
A bell rang in the courtyard, as everyone gathered for the first, and hopefully last, investigation trial.  
\----------------------------------------------------  
Miss Teal started the conversation.  
“We are gathered here today to identify the murderer. This senseless act of cruelty needs to be solved. What did everyone find?”

Nio spoke up next. “We didn’t find anything of note here. What we did find, I guarantee, isn’t important to this murder, and as such, we need to adress that later.”

Up next was Rosalia herself. “We found…. a few pieces of information that might be important. First, was that our dear victim here had a special medicine he made and took every day. The second was a note. Mr. Navy, care to read it off?”

Mr. Navy smiled half-heartedly. “To whom it may concern. If you are reading this note, that means that unfortunately, I have passed from this world, and not peacefully. In return, I had to take some precautions. To ensure that my death is avenged, I placed a secret ingredient in everyone’s dinner last night. I apologize, but I figured this was a necessity. The secret ingredient was ½ love, ½ incredibly deadly poison. Unless you find my killer, all of you will die within a week. I managed to sneak the antidote into the pocket of the killer. Find my killer, in order to live.”

A stunned silence filled the courtyard. 

“...Are you saying.. Unless we find the killer, we will all die?” Elise asked.

“Well, not all of us. I didn’t eat it.” Nio shrugged.

“So… Does anyone here have an alibi?” Miss Teal asked.

Elise smiled. “I am not sure if this is an alibi, but I know Miss Teal and myself would have had no reason to kill him.”

Mr. White frowned. “And how’s that?”

“Because, Mr. White. If either Miss Teal or myself wanted him dead, we would have waited a week for his Brand to kill him. That was his secret that he told us.”

Nio cursed under her breath.

“So then, that was the injury on him I couldn’t identify.” Mrs. Jade sighed.

“Speaking of which, what were the injuries?” asked Miss Teal.

“The injuries were two stab wounds of a small knife. Not a kitchen knife, I checked. This occurred sometime in the middle of the night, and I couldn’t pinpoint a specific time.”

Rosalia chimed in. “And no one has an alibi for that time of the night. How convenient.”

Miss Teal only smiled. She seemed to enjoy herself. “We don’t need to find an alibi. We need to figure out the motive first, and then everything will unfold.”

Rosalia just glared. “If you know who did it, why not just say it?”

“Because that would ruin the fun! And besides, I am giving them a chance to confess.”

Mr. Navy laughed. “I’m sorry! But this is just funny to me. No one is going to confess to the murder! It’s ridiculous! No one would!”

“I am well aware of that fact, Mr. Navy. But let’s consider one crucial element of the case that no one has mentioned. Has anyone actually said the name of the victim?”

Rosalia blanked. Miss Teal was right. No one had said that Mr. Purple died.

“And in addition, I think I can identify the culprit of the case. I believe that the culprit of the case, is none other than, Mr. White. Let's take a look at the evidence. When alerting us all to the body, he never identified it. Instead, he said that there was one. He also mistakenly identified the body as Mr. Gray, when in fact he was still alive.”

“Now, let's not throw accusations around, and especially not at me. It's true though. I misidentified the body. I have a condition known as Face Blindness. I can tell faces apart. But that doesn't make me the culprit, it just makes me an idiot.”

Rosalia blinked. “No, I think Miss Teal is right. There's no way it isn't you. No one else had a reason to kill Mr. Purple.”

“Preposterous! Someone could have found out that he poisoned everyone, for a start!” Mr. White seemed to be getting heated.

Miss Teal jumped in again. “Of course, that's an option. Except his door was locked. My theory is he went on a stroll, and you killed him thinking he was Mr. Gray! Not knowing what you did, you needed to make sure of it. Which is why you brought everyone to the courtyard, to double check that it was Mr. Gray! Anyone would have had a motive, and no alibi, so this would be the perfect crime! Except, surprise! It wasn't Mr. Gray. You made a mistake. A perfectly honest one, but one nonetheless. So shocker, you needed to dispose of any evidence! Which is why you took the knife you used from the entrance, and took it back! Your perfect plan fell apart.”

Mr. White looked furious. “You think I used just any old knife?! No! Like you heard, it was a custom one! One that I always keep on me! Furthermore, I didn't call you all there to identify the body, but to throw suspicion off of me! It was the perfect plan, until that idiot decided to ruin it by going on a walk!”

Once more, silence reigned across the makeshift trial grounds.

“Well. I suppose that's blown to hell now, anyways. I suppose it's time to admit my guilt. I, Mr. White, killed Mr. Purple. I have the antidote to the poison. The starting bid is 1,000 pieces.”

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! YOU HAVE A CURE TO SAVE EVERYONE FROM DEATH, AND YOU TRY AND AUCTION IT OFF FOR SOME QUICK CASH?!” 

Miss Jade physically smacked Mr. White, and was then promptly pulled back by Nio. Mr. White stood up, holding his face.

“So. What do we do with the murderer?” Rosalia inquired.

Aurora took command. “We lock him in his room. I can craft a sigil to prevent him from opening the door, and we can take turns bringing him food. Nio, can you be on watch?”

Nio nodded.

Mr. White sighed. “Well, I suppose that beats my plan of stacking the bodies in the cellar and leaving one at a time. By the way, you guys can't get the antidote from me. You won't be able to find it.”

Mr. White smiled, and headed off into his room, quickly followed by Mrs. Jade.

“Is that it?” asked Rosalia.

“I suppose it is. What now? Who should cook?” asked Mr. Gray.

“No one by themselves. We can take turns in shifts of two. No one should be able to poison us again. I’ll try and talk to Mr. White about getting the antidote. In the meantime, Mr. Navy, can you try and make an antidote for me if I get you the poison?” Miss Teal replied.

“I can try, at the very least. If anyone else wants anything, let me know.”

“Alright. Case dismissed.” Miss Teal ended the conversation.  
\---------------------------------------  
Rosalia watched as everyone left the courtyard. Mr. Navy and Miss Teal went together, talking about inventions. Mr. Gray sighed, and returned to his room. Miss Green and Miss Blue went together, just chatting. The only person left was Nio and Miss Red.

“Well, I am glad we figured it out, but no one should have died.” 

“Humanity is dumb, Rosalia. People are dumb.”

“You make it sound like you aren’t human, or human adjacent, Nio.” added Miss Red.

“I’m not, really. Being around as long as I have, you start to detach yourself from the world.”

“And how long have you been alive, Miss. Nio?” asked Rosalia.

“HOW DARE YOU?? You can never ask a lady her age.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------  
Rosalia spent the rest of the day in a daze. Everything was still processing. Someone actually killed her friend? I mean, she hadn't known Mr. Purple for long, but she still liked him! She went to bed, but she couldn't sleep. Eventually, she turned over, and saw the sun shine through the window. She got up, and wandered downstairs. Mr. Navy seemed to be working on something in the study, and she paid no mind to him. She went into the courtyard, and saw that the body had been moved. She sat on the ground, and just stared up at the sky. She heard someone walk next to her.

“If it makes you feel better, we are hosting a memorial for him later this evening.” 

She turned her head, and saw Miss Green standing next to her, also gazing upwards.

“thanks… I'll try and see if I can make it. I’ve never been a huge fan of funerals.”

“Can't say I have been one either. No stress. This place… I didn't expect anyone to actually kill him. Mr. Gray, yeah. But Mr. Purple? Can't say I saw that one coming. Humanity is odd.”

“Heh. You make it seem like you aren't human.”

“I'm not, dummy. Spòra. But, still close enough. I consider myself part of humanity. See enough, and you start to disassociate yourself with the people who… well. The key is to remember that they are human. No one here is good, or evil. We're all just… people.”

“Kinda poetic, don't you think? That everyone here is just… their own person. It's nice to see everyone come together to seek justice. I just hope that Mr. Purple didn't have to die.”

“Agreed. So how long did you know, Miss Lavender?”

“Know what?”

“Don't be dumb. How long did you know it was Mr. White.”

“…the entire time. So did Miss Teal, I think.”

“I know. I knew as well.”  
\-----------------------------------  
The funeral came and went. Everyone besides the murderer showed up, and said a few words. No one knew him well, but they should have gotten to. No one should have died. Here's hoping no one does again, Rosalia thought.  
\-------------------------------------  
The fourth morning arrived, and with it brought another shout outside her door.

“-ARD! I'M GOING TO GET YOU.” shouted Nio’s voice.

Rosalia blinked, and got up. She ran out of her room to find Nio frantically opening the door of the room she was supposed to be guarding. She ran beside her, and looked in horror at the sight inside. In the room, lay the dead body of Finnian Aohd, also known as Mr. White.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This series is going to be updated every Tuesday if possible, with chapter lengths being about 2500 words each. Not much, but hopefully enough to tide you over until the next chapter.
> 
> (Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all on the other side.)


	3. Chapter 3, or another murder leads to an interesting... trial.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another murder leads to an investigation, which leads to a discussion about whether to even figure out the murderer.

A new day, a new death. Once more, Rosalia stared at the corpse of someone she knew. Mr. White laid motionless, with a large stab wound in his stomach. The crime scene was pillaged, looking as if someone was making a mad search for something. Probably the antidote. She heard footsteps, as the rest of the partygoers arrived.

“So. Another death? Can’t say this was inevitable, but it was certainly a possibility.” the cold tones of Miss Teal remarked.

“No… not again.”

“It’s okay Mrs. Jade. You did everything you could.” Nio reassured the girl. “Someone knocked me out in the middle of the night. I’m not sure how, but I didn’t get a good glimpse of them. They also stole something else.”

Mr. Navy perked up. “What would you even have to steal?”

“The rest of the poisons. I kept them, since I knew I couldn’t be affected by them. No risk of me using them either.”

Elise had a puzzled expression on her face. “Why would you not be able to be affected by them? And why would someone steal them?”

“It’s complicated. Nice to see you again Elise. And I don’t know.”

Miss Lavender walked to the door. “Oh Zás. Who did this?”

“I don’t think it was her, as she has an alibi.” deadpanned Nio.

“Who even has an alibi? Rosalia asked.

“I think this is even more of an unsolvable crime than last time. Anyone else have face blindness?” 

“Nio. If you are going to not take this seriously, we have no choice but to suspect you.” Miss Blue said.

Nio replied, “Suspect me all you want! I'm not the criminal. Now, do you want to split up and search for clues, gang? I call little miss detective over there, Miss Teal. Everyone else, find your buddy!”

Everyone split up once more. Nio with Miss Teal, Mrs. Jade with Mr. Navy, Elise and Miss Green, and Rosalia and Miss Blue went together. Mr Gray simply watched. 

“So, where do we want to start?”

“Let's start in the study, I guess? It looks like everyone seems to want to investigate the room, so let's check out what the study holds. Maybe we can find something of use?” Rosalia replied.  
\-------------------------  
The study was a mess, still. A bunch of books were on the ground, leaving a bookshelf empty except for a book titled “Secrets and how to keep them.”. Rosalia went to investigate it, but as she pulled it out, the bookshelf started to move. It swung open, revealing a long metal tunnel. 

“Well. That's… interesting.”

“You can say that again Blue.”

The duo entered the tunnel. It was a metal wall, unlike the normal brick wall in the house. It sloped downwards, revealing a dead end with a keyboard in a small crevice in the wall.

“You figure if we type the password in, this dead end will open?”

“But what password?” pondered Miss Blue.

Rosalia typed in a few random passwords, like password, revelation, apocalypse. None of them worked. Then, she had a random idea. She typed in the word Maverick, and hit enter. The wall in front of them slid down, revealing a large station with many monitors. On those monitors, were videos of everyone running around. There was a red light in the corner, indicating it was live. 

“Well well well. Looks like someone’s been watching us.”

“But why, Miss Do- Miss Lavender?”

“Probably to figure out who killed Mr. Gray?”

“Makes sense.”

She backtracked the feed, by pressing the rewind button on a second keyboard in front of her. The feed rewinded before hitting a large part of static around 7 AM. The static lasted until 6 AM, where a hooded figure walked behind Nio before pressing a button on something in her hand.

“DAUGHTER OF A BAST-” the Nio on the camera said before falling unconscious, and the static started.

“Figure that’s when the murder happened?”

“Has to be Miss Blue. Has to be.”

\-----------------------------------------------------  
Nio meandered alongside Miss Teal, who was getting annoyed.

“So, Miss detective, how are ya?”

“Can you stop being so nonchalant about this??”

“Nah. This is fun! I actually am part of it this time!”

“For Gods sake Nio, a man is dead!”

Nio’s tone turned harsh. “But do you miss him? Do you think anyone here actually will miss the guy? He murdered someone. He threatened to murder all of us unless he got the money he wanted. Unless this murderer releases the antidote, I have a feeling we will have a repeat. Don't you?”

This shut Miss Teal up. “You're right, as always. You want to help search the room for any signs of… something?”

The two investigated the murder scene. Not much was revealed pertaining to the criminals identity.

“What do you make of the room being ransacked, Nio?”

“Someone wanted the antidote. They were willing to kill to get it, and then decided to trash the room searching.”

“I disagree. I think you have them in reverse.”

“Why so?”

“See those books on the ground?” Teal pointed at a few books on the ground next to the knocked over table.

“What about them?”

“They have blood on the covers. It's as if they fell before blood was spilled.”

“Interesting…”  
\----------------------------------  
Mrs. Jade was investigating the body after the two detectives left. The large stab wound appeared to be the cause of death, but using her sigil revealed something else. 

“Navy! He was poisoned!”

“Hmm? Oh yeah. Makes sense.” Mr. Navy was investigating something on the ground.

“What do you have?”

The inventor held up a small round object with a button on top.

“Is that a kibaszott grenade? Where did you get that?”

“Watch your damn language Mrs. Jade. And no. It's… something I made. I guess they went through with it.”

“…did you murder Mr. White?”

“No. But I know who did.”  
\----------------------------------  
Elise was desperate. She decided to wander about the grounds, hoping she would luck into something. And lo and behold, she did. 

“What are you doing? You've been walking around like this for ages!”

“Green! I found something!”

“What is it?”

Elise held up the scraps of a cloak, burnt. The red fabric of the hood was singed towards the edges, as if lit on fire.

“Reckon that's something important?”

“I hope so, Green.”  
\-------------------------------  
Like last time, everyone gathered in the courtyard. However, the body of Mr. Purple was no longer there. Rosalia made a mental note to ask later.

“Here we are again. Anyone want to confess, or shall we do this the hard way.” asked Miss Teal, but it wasn't really a question.

“Let's just… figure this out. Any leads?”

“No. I'm sorry, Miss Lavender, but we will not be figuring this out.” 

The room fell into silence.

“Navy, what are you saying? We have to figure this out.” 

“I'm sorry Miss Teal, but I cannot allow this mockery of justice to continue. Let me ask you a question. What do you intend to do with the killer? Do we lock them up, and hope that the previous incident doesn't happen? Do we go to bed each night, thinking that by the time we wake up, someone will kill them? Or do we let this one go. Chalk it up to a necessary action. We label it as a fluke, and trust that this person won't do it again.”

“No. I'm sorry Navy, but I won't allow this. We have to see it through to the end.”

“Do we Miss Teal? As a show of hands, who actually wants to face this cold truth.”

Mrs. Jade, Miss Green, Rosalia, and Miss Teal raised their hands.

“And as a show of hands, who wants to let this slide.”

Elise, Mr. Navy, Miss Blue, and Mr. Gray raised their hands.

“And Nio? What say you, as the tie breaker.”

“…i don't know. If we pursue the truth, someone will die. If we don't, everyone but me dies to the poison.”

“And what if I eliminated that option? I hold in my pockets the antidote to the poison. Should you so choose, all of you can take it. I charge no fee, and offer no reward if you take my side. All I am saying is that I can eliminate every outside influence. I can bring it down to the bare facts of the matter, that if we pursue this murder, we sentence someone to death. I guarantee that the person responsible for the heinous act will die. And that we lose one of the most important people in this party by doing so.”

“…I'm sorry Mr. Navy. I vote for pursuing the truth.”

“I hope you know what you are doing.”

“Believe me, I know exactly what we risk with this play.”

Miss Green spoke up. “Care to elaborate on that comment?”

“Nope! So what are the facts of this case.”

Mrs. Jade spoke up. “The body was stabbed, but that wasn't the cause of death. It was a poison.”

“So someone stole the poisons from me, and then used it on Mr. White? Why?”

“As a threat, probably. Give me the antidote or you'll die.” Miss Green said.

“So whoever did this was after the antidote. But then, why give it to Mr. Navy? What role does he play in the matter?” inquired Miss Teal.

“I'll tell you my role in the matter. The killer asked me for an invention. An EMP grenade, of sorts. It shorts out all technology in the room it's in, for about… one hour? I asked what I got for it, and they said they would give me all the poisons. I got the poisons late in the evening, as well as the antidote to the big one. I got to work brewing up antidotes to all the others, before… the body got found.”

“…why was Nio affected by the EMP?” asked Rosalia.

“I'll give you three guesses. Here's a hint. I'm an Android, idiot.”

“So that answers that question. But what would the killer gain from giving the antidote to Mr. Navy?” asked Miss Teal.

“Nothing. They would gain nothing. They did it for the greater good.” replied Rosalia.

“So then, if no one has any other information to share, I believe we are done here. This crime was perfect in its simplicity, preventing anyone from figuring it out.”

“Miss Blue and I found something. In the library, there was a secret passage into a camera room. It had a video of just before all the cameras went out. It showed a figure next to Nio activating the grenade.”

“Oh good! Someone finally found the cameras! I was wondering if they would.” 

“You knew, Nio??”

“Of course! I found it last time, Lav!”

Miss Green looked confused. “Why would there be a camera system hidden?”

Mr. Gray spoke for the first time. “So that I could have verifiable proof of who killed me. Uneditable, since no one was supposed to know.”

“Oh.”

“Any other pieces of information, or can we be done?”

“Why are you in such a hurry to end this, Navy?”

“Why are you in such a hurry to prolong this, Teal?”

“Enough! Unless you two stop bickering, you will prolong this until the rest of the days are up!” Mrs. Jade scolded.

Elise spoke up. “I might have something. I found a piece of a cloak that resembles… one of our clothing items. Is this yours, Miss Teal?” she held up the cloak.

“It is.”

“It looked burnt, as if someone tried to get rid of it. Was this you, Miss Teal?”

“Nope! It wasn't her. It was me.”

“Nio, what are you saying?” asked Mr. Navy.

“I confess to the murder of Mr. White. I went into his room late at night, knocked over a couple tables in order to find the antidote, couldn't find it, so I went to threaten him! Got some blood on the cloak of Miss Teal I was wearing in case anyone spotted me, then I poisoned him with his own dagger covered in poison. While he was dying, he gave me the antidote before dying. I went out, and tried to burn the cloak, but clearly that wasn't good enough.”

“…how did you get one of my cloaks?”

“Your room was unlocked last night. I just strolled on in, and grabbed one.”

“But that doesn't explain you on the tapes!”

“I edited them, dear Lavender! I knew about them before you, so I doctored up some new tapes. Mr. Navy. You know exactly who did it. Tell them it was me.”

“…she is correct. Nio is the murderer here. Shall we wrap this up?”

“But… there's so much left unanswered! Like the grenade!”

“Miss Teal. If you insist on continuing this train of arguments, I will have to insist on you leaving.” Nio replied. This shut Miss Teal up.

“So, is that it? How do we go about trapping Nio? She doesn't have a room, and my sigil wouldn't even work since Golems don't have souls. I'm sorry, Androids.”

“That's rude, but you aren't wrong! So I suggest, you don't.”

“There has to be some sort of punishment! You can't just go around killing people without getting punished!”

“You could kill me yourself, if you feel that strongly. But I don't think anyone here has the guts to do that. You all are a bunch of spineless cowards who were afraid to do anything more than trapping a murderer in a room with a bed and food. But no, Mrs. Jade. I don't think we will be doing anything. Unless you want to put this to a vote.”

Mr. Navy, Nio, Miss Teal, Elise, Mr Gray, and Miss Blue all raised their hands.

“I guess that's settled. No punishment for me. If it makes you feel better, I guarantee that I won't kill anyone again!”

“It really doesn't.” 

“So, is that it?”

“I believe it is, Mr. Navy. I believe it is.” Nio ended the second trial.  
\----------------------  
Everyone started to disperse after taking the antidote, with Rosalia heading to her room. Even though it was still the afternoon, she decided to try and rest. She turned over in her bed, revealing it was the middle of the night. She decided to go on a walk. She left her room quietly, as to not make a sound, and headed outside. She saw someone else standing outside, and walked over to them.

“Trouble sleeping, Miss Teal?”

Teal jumped back, in surprise. “Rosalia… are you here to kill me?”

“No. I don't believe in murdering a murderer, but clearly you seem to digress from me in that opinion.”

“So, you figured it out. I'm sorry for letting Nio take the fall. It wasn't my idea.”

“Oh, I know it wasn't. That was all her if I had to guess. My only question is why.”

“I'm not sure I can answer that question, but I can answer it with a different answer. To a question I know you've been asking yourself, but to everyone. My name is Yuuna Kallie, and my secret is that I'm a world class detective in disguise. It also went on to state that I can solve this if I think it through.”

“Solve what?”

“My guess? The true motive for this game. Someone wants Mr. Gray dead. And I don't think it's him. He seemed to be off guard when talking about the camera room, as if he didn't know it existed. My thinking is that he didn't set everything up. I'm just not sure who.”

“I can't answer any of that, but I can say I don't think anyone blames you Yuuna.”

“Thanks. But that's not true. I blame myself.”

“Hey. All you can do is help everyone else. Atone for your mistake, and try and help solve the true mystery. What did Mr. Navy mean about: ‘we would lose an important part of the party’ when talking about you?”

“I think he wants me to solve everything. Want to help me on that?”

“Sure.”

The two spent the rest of the night talking on the grounds of the mansion, and were awoken in the morning by a round of screaming.  
\---------------------------------  
The two ran into the study, where the screaming was. They saw two unmoving bodies next on a table, with 5 glasses in front of them. 2 were drunk. The pair met up with everyone else, to reveal the bodies of Léonide Narcisse, aka Mr. Navy, and Elise Fortuna, also known as Miss Red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are now up to date, with the next chapter being 28/4/20. This chapter is one of my favorites, detailing whether or not to actually pursue justice or to let it slide. Let me know who you agree with, if you want.
> 
> (Thanks for reading, and see you on the other side.)


	4. Chapter 4, or the reveal of a secret.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets get revealed, and more people die. Par for the course at this point.

Two bodies lay at the table. No one could believe it. The room fell into silence. Until, one of the bodies started to move. Elise Fortuna stood up, looking dazed. Everyone relaxed a bit. Then, Mrs. Jade went over to Mr. Navy's body, and felt it.

“Oh… oh no.”

“Is… is he alive?”

“I'm sorry Miss Lavender. He isn't.”

The room fell into silence once again. Everyone knew the routine by now, splitting into pairs. No one realized someone was missing until Elise mentioned it.

“Where's Nio?”

Rosalia looked around. Nio was missing. Come to think of it, in all the confusion, she hadn't seen her anywhere. 

“Oh gods of Halla.” was all she could manage.

Rosalia paired up with Elise. Miss Teal with Mrs. Jade, and Miss Blue and Miss Green teamed up, with Mr. Gray only watching once more.

“Where should we look?”

“I think, Elise, we should look in the room of the deceased.”

“Not the camera room?”

“We both know that that will provide nothing of value. And how did you get into the camera room?”

“Nio unlocked it somehow.”

“How did she get the password?”

“How did you?”

And with that remark, the pair went up to the room.  
\-------------------------  
“You know, I expected it to be bigger.”

“Lavender. It's the same size as the others!”

“Yeah I know but he managed to make it feel so small with all the inventions.”

“And apparently this is where he put the poison.”

The two split up. Elise looked over the poisons, while Rosalia was looking through the inventions. She picked up a headset, revealing a note. 

“Well, what do we have here?”

Rosalia turned to face Elise, who had her hands in her pockets. She held up the note, revealing it to Elise.  
\------------------------  
Mrs Jade was investigating the body, while Miss Teal investigated the drinks on the table. The other pair snuck off while they weren't looking. 

“See anything interesting in the drinks?”

“Other than the fact that they are all poisoned the same, no.”

“Makes sense. The body is also poisoned. If I had the vial, I could tell you what kind it was, but…”

“What about the drinks? Could you tell from those?”

“I can try.”

Mrs. Jade walked over to the table, and drew a sigil around one of the cups. She focused intently. Her face had a look of confusion on it. She went over to the next cup, then the cup after that, before going to the two cups drunk out of.

“You get anything?”

“Nothing that makes sense. But something that supports a theory of mine.”  
\-----------------------  
Miss Green entered the camera room, with Miss Blue following behind. She checked the recordings, but there was a large static spot between 4 to 5 am. 

“That idiotic EMP grenade keeps messing up these cameras.”

“But why would anyone trigger the cameras to shut off?”

“This entire mystery is flawed.”  
\-------------------------  
Like clockwork, everyone gathered into the courtyard once again. However, missing two members meant no one wanted to start. But eventually, Miss Teal started it.

“So… anyone want to confess?”

“Yes. I do.”

The room fell into silence.

“I, Elise Fortuna, killed Mr. Navy.”

“No. You didn't.” Mrs. Jade spoke up.

“Yes I did. It might not be a traditional murder, but it was still me responsible for his death.”

“Explain it then. Explain in detail how you managed to kill him.”

“Alright then, Jade. I will. My name, as many of you know, is Elise Fortuna. My secret, like a few of you might have guessed, is that through incredibly dumb luck, I am the God-Avatar to the Goddess Zás. Mr. Navy took me to the study last night, and he… wanted to play a game. There were five cups on a table. He wanted each of us to drink one. One contained a poison that would just knock you out. The other four contained an incredibly lethal amount of the same. Zás took control, and as such, he lost the game. Therefore, I am responsible for his death.”

“…I'm sorry. I know this isn't the point, but the fact that your last name is Fortuna and you are the God-Avatar for Zás is a little… ridiculous.”

“I know, Miss Green. But I assure you I'm telling the truth.”

“But there's not any way to prove it, is there Miss Red?”

“A true point Miss Blue. But you are one of the people here I know who knows it.”

“And who are the others?”

“Nio. She and Zás knew each other. You, Miss Blue, because we know each other. Mr. Gray, since he set up the secrets. Miss Teal, since we swapped secrets. And then the Ringleader of this whole operation also knows.”

“The Ringleader? Who is that?”

“An excellent question Miss Green. But let me field this one. The Ringleader is the person truly responsible for this murder.”

“…what do you mean Miss Lavender?”

“In Mr. Navy's room, there was a note. It read this: ‘Unless someone dies tomorrow, everyone will be dead by the week's end.’. The Ringleader wrote this note.”

“But then, who's the Ringleader?”

“I don't know, Miss Green. But we need to find all the evidence for this case. Because, I know Elise didn't do it. And besides, where did Nio even go? So. Anyone have any leads?” Miss Teal took over.

“I told you! I killed Mr. Navy!”

“No. The only crime you committed was being Elise Fortuna. That is your crime. It is also your punishment.”

“Teal. Please. I accept that I killed him.”

“Except you didn't. Show of hands. Who wants to keep investigating, or who wants to just let Elise take the blame. All in favor of letting Elise take the blame?”

Elise, Mr. Gray, Miss Green all raised their hands.

Miss Lavender, Miss Teal, Mrs. Jade, and Miss Blue did not.

“Just give up Teal! I killed him!”

“What about we just investigate this more. We figure out definitely if you killed him.”

“Deal. Anyone find any evidence other than the note proving I didn’t kill him?”

“The note could be forged for one.”

“Excellent point Miss Green. However, why? Who would gain from wanting to make an imaginary boogeyman?”

“The person who doesn’t want to be held accountable for their actions?”

“On a different note, anyone found anything relating to Nio?” asked Rosalia.

“I checked the camera room, but no one was there. In addition, one of the EMP grenades shorted all the cameras.”

“How did you get into the camera room?”

“There was a note on the door with the password. I presume Nio put it there.”

“Makes sense.”

“So. Nio is missing, we have someone confessing to a death she didn’t cause, and someone is just dead. Why? Elise. What happened at night?”

And so, Elise began to recap the events:  
\--------------------------------------  
(That fateful night.)  
Elise woke up to a rapping at her door. She opened it, revealing Mr. Navy.

“Why are you knocking at my door?”

“Come with me to the study. I need your help with something.”

And so, Elise reluctantly followed. They went to the study, revealing five drinks on a table, with two chairs. She sat in one, as Navy sat in the other.

“What’s this about?”

“I need your help. There is someone here pulling the strings of everything. They’ve… threatened me.”

“With what?”

“The deaths of everyone here.”

“Oh.”

“They said unless I comitted a murder, everyone here would die. I can’t really allow that.”

“I imagine. So you brought me here to kill me?”

“No, no. Nothing of the sort. I brought you here to help me. I need your help figuring out who it is.”

“Good. Because this was the worst murder attempt I’ve seen.”

“Yeah yeah I know.”

“So. Who do you think the mastermind is?”

“No. It’s not the mastermind. I know who that is already. The person responsible is more of a Ringleader. Someone who actually influences things. Someone who both planned this and is an active participant.”

“What, so like Lavender or Teal?”

“No, it’s not either of them. I mean neither one is great, but both of them have different roles.”

“Nio?”

“Heh. If she was the Ringleader, I think I might just die laughing.”

“So then who do you think?”

“I’m… I’m not sure. I also can’t risk everyone dying. So how about we play a game?”

“What game.”

“Each of these cups have a poison. One just knocks you out, the others have a 99.9% chance to kill you.”

“So you got the poison.”

“I told you that already though.”

“Oh yeah, you did.”

“So, you want to take a drink from one?”

“No. Can I phone a friend?”

“Sure, call out your goddess buddy.”

“How did you-you know, it makes sense.”

Elise slumped down onto the table for a solid second, then straightened back up.

“Welcome, Zás. So glad you could make it.”

“Ah, welcome! It is a pleasure meeting you fully, Mr. Narcisse!”

“How do you know my name?”

“I'm a goddess. I also admire your work.”

“Fair. So, you want to take a drink out of the cups?”

“Why do you want to do this?”

“Because. I need to win this game.”

“This game? Do you view this as a game?”

“You don't?”

“Alright.”

“To taking down the Ringleader?”

“To taking down the Ringleader, one step at a time.”

Both picked up a drink, clinked them together, then drank out of the respective glasses. At once, Mr. Navy slumped onto the table. Zás coughed a few times, then slumped into the table into a state of unconsciousness.  
\-----------------------

“Poor Léonide.” Miss Blue said.

“So that's what happened. That's how I killed him. I cheated and got the right cup.” 

“No. You didn't. He managed to perform the dumbest possible suicide possible.” Miss Teal said.

“I killed him! It doesn't matter how it happened, I'm directly responsible!”

“I can assure you with my word as Aurora Jade, that you did not murder him.” Mrs. Jade said.

“…you don't understand. It's my fault.”

“If you just blame someone, blame the Ringleader. They caused all this.” Miss Lavender responded.

“So is that it? We're done here?” asked Miss Green.

“I believe it is. We find the Ringleader, and avenge his death.”

“Well said Miss Teal. What now?” Rosalia asked.

“Find Nio. She has to be around here somewhere.”

The party-goers went into the study, to reveal a shocking site. Instead of the body of Mr. Navy, there was the unconscious form of Nio laying on the table.

“Where did Léonide go?!”

“Look at the table Miss Blue. There's a note on the table!”

Rosalia went to investigate the note. On it were written the words: “I'm sorry, I had to take his body. He had too much incriminating evidence on him. ~the Ringleader.”

“The Ringleader took him!”

“Is Nio ok?” asked Miss Blue.

“I can't tell! She's an Android! She's showing no wounds though.”

“So who wants to wait here till she recovers?” Teal inquired.

“I will.”

“Thanks Rosalia. I'll join you.” Elise offered.

“Thanks.”  
\---------------------------  
Rosalia woke up. She didn't even realize she fell asleep. So, it was the dawn of the sixth day, she thought to herself. Elise was passed out next to her. Meanwhile, Nio appeared to be missing. She jumped up, and turned around. Nio was looking at some books.

“You're alive!”

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“You missed an entire murder case!”

“Yep.” was all Nio had to say.

She relaxed a bit more, as she just watched Nio rummage around. She let her guard down. This was a mistake. A cloaked and masked figure ran into the room, carrying a large sword. Just as Rosalia stood up to protect Nio, the sword went through her stomach.

“NO!”

Nio fell over, onto the sword. The figure looked at her, then ran off. Rosalia ran over to Nio.

“Are you okay?”

Nio seemed to look confused. “Why… why is there a sword in me?”

“It's ok! We can get you medical aid.”

“She… she disconnected me and started to control my body. Now I'm here. Whatever you do, you just find the Ringleader. I'll be fine…”

“What do you mean controlled your body? Hang in there!”

“Relax. We'll… meet again. Don't worry. I won't actually die…”

“NIO!”

And then, Nio succumbed to her wounds, and fell still.

“HELP! SOMEONE'S BEEN MURDERED!” however, this was not Rosalia who called it. It was Miss Blue, in the foyer. Elise woke up, and ran over to the body. 

“We have to see who it is!”

The two ran into the foyer, and saw a dead body. Everyone expected who it was. It was the dead body of Alder Gray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be shorter, and the case is split into three parts. We near the endgame.
> 
> (Thanks for reading, and see you on the other side.)


	5. Chapter 5, or the beginning of the end.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A web of mysteries slowly starts to untangle as hidden secrets get revealed.

There were two more deaths. One was Nio, a person Rosalia considered a friend, and Mr Gray, the man who started everything. Both laid dead, killed in similar ways. A sword in the stomach.

“…he actually got killed.” Miss Teal said.

“I mean, we were all expecting it… right? Who killed him is the important question.” said Mrs. Jade.

“It was a figure… in a large black cloak and mask. They ran in here, and stabbed him. Then they ran off.” replied Miss Blue.

“Same with Nio.” chimed Rosalia.

“Nio’s dead also? We need to figure out who did this.” Mrs. Jade replied.

“Got it. Split up everyone. Like normal.” commanded Miss Teal.

Miss Green and Elise teamed up, Mrs. Jade and Rosalia, and Yuuna and Miss Blue. Jade and Rosalia went off to explore the camera room, while the other pairs would search the bodies. 

“No point seeing what killed them. Pretty obvious.” explained Mrs. Jade.  
\------------------------  
The camera room was empty. The pair made small talk on the way there, but once they were alone, Rosalia confronted the girl.

“You know Aurora, you are a terrible liar.”

“…what do you mean?”

“You skirt around the conversation, and then when it actually came up, you gave the most non-committal non answer. Your word means nothing if you don't make it mean something.”

“So you figured it out.”

“I'm not an idiot. You were acting really suspicious the entire trial.”

“…let's just focus on this one.”

The two went back on the camera. Sure enough, the masked figure appeared in the camera of the Foyer, running up to and stabbing Mr. Gray. She went over to the library camera, and saw the same figure… wait. The masks were different. It wasn't the same person. There was a five minute gap between Gray's death and Nio’s death, but the first masked figure had a different body shape than the other. Taller and thinner, and the swords were different. She checked the other cameras. After the figure ran out of the foyer, they vanished into the front lawn. There weren't any cameras out there. Miss Blue fainted, after talking to Mr. Gray and seeing his demise. Mrs. Jade was eating. Then, the second murder happened, and everyone reconvened in the foyer.

“Well, Aurora. I think I've figured the case out thanks to you.”  
\-------------------------  
Miss Blue and Miss Teal were investigating the body of Nio. The poor robotic girl had suffered serious mechanical damage from the sword, however the machinery was unlike anything either one had seen.

“It's not a normal Android body.”

“What do you mean, Teal?”

“I mean that the machinery in here isn't normal. It's like… instead of having whatever the Android equivalent of a soul is, all actions seem to be getting sent here from an outside source.”

“Care to dumb it down for me?”

“Whoever was controlling Nio, they weren't in the building or the body.”  
\-----------------  
The pair of Miss Green and Elise were exploring the death of Mr. Gray. The clues were sparse, but Elise wanted to try something. She closed her eyes, and started walking. She stumbled into the door, then went outside. She saw a cloak and mask laying on the ground, next to some bushes. Someone had discarded them, and in a hurry.  
\-------------------  
As normal at this point, the group convened into what would be hopefully the last trial. However, as the sixth of them entered the room, they saw an additional figure standing there. They were wearing a black cloak that concealed most of their body, as well as a large white mask. Rosalia recognized him as the person who killed Nio.

The mysterious stranger had the hint of a smile on their voice, changed into a robotic pitch. “Well well well, it's nice to see you all!”

“Who are you?” asked Miss Green.

“Not who you think, that's for sure!”

“Ignore them, they're just being an obnoxious jerk.” replied Mrs. Jade.

“What have we found out about this case?” Yuuna asked.

“That person killed Nio. Someone else killed Alder Gray.” Rosalia replied.

“Indeed I did. It was for a good cause though, I hope you don't mind. There was a reason for it.” the mysterious figure chuckled.

“Shut up. We all know you aren't the Ringleader, no point trying to play the villain.”

“You're no fun Jade. Thanks for everything though.”

“Of course, you idiot.”

“How can we be sure they aren't the Ringleader though?” Miss Green asked.

“Good question Miss Green, you'll just have to trust me.” Mrs. Jade replied.

“So. One of us, other than weird cloak person is the Ringleader of this entire event and killed Mr. Gray, and, presumably, is the mastermind behind everything.” Rosalia summed up.

“I keep trying to tell you. The Mastermind and the Ringleader are different people!”

“Keep? Wait a second. Mr. Navy. Did you fake your own death just so you could try and plan an elaborate mystery.”

The masked figure took off the mask and cloak to reveal the previously dead body of Mr. Navy.

“It's no fun if you just say it.”

“Do you know how many nightmares you caused Navy!” shouted Elise.

“You know, I'm sorry.”

“Where did you even get the cloak and mask?” inquired Yuuna.

“There was a secret storeroom under the mansion with a bunch of stuff like this, in case the Ringleader wanted to interfere more probably. Same with the sword.”

“Alright. So ignoring the idiot over there, who here could it be?” Rosalia snarked.

“…I think I know who it is.” replied the seriously shaken Elise, who was glaring at the non-dead partygoer.

“Want to say it or keep us all in suspense?” innocently chimed Navy.

“I believe it was… Miss Blue. For whatever reason, you've been able to identify everyone by their actual name. That proves you as suspicious. In addition, you were in the room with Mr. Gray before his death.”

“But the camera footage I found-” 

“I know Rosalia. But, if Blue truly is the Ringleader, she could have easily manipulated the cameras remotely.”

“May I defend myself? I know it is going to sound fake, but I need to try.”

“Go ahead.” was all Yuuna had to say.

“I know this is an odd thing to start with, but why were we chosen? Out of all of us, why were we chosen for this party? Have any of you considered it?”

The room fell into silence as people started to think.

“I can answer it. Because there is a malicious force at work. Think about it. Rosalia Dores, one of the smartest people on Velikiy. Yuuna Kallie, one of the world's best detectives. Aurora Jade, boy, do you have a file on everything you've done. One of the strongest enchanters, and from… well. Léonide Narcisse, you are a world class inventor. Both ATLAS and Applecorp would try and snatch you up in an instant if they could. Elise Fortuna, what more needs to be said about you! Íde Aileas, a general of the Páncélozott legionary unlike any other! Even the dead members of the party were incredibly talented. Cat Quinlan, or Mr Purple, was a talented doctor. Finnian Aohd, or Mr White, was an idiot, but he was still a really talented assassin. I am Elizabeth Meral, a doctor and member of a secret organization with no name dedicated to making sure Velikiy stays safe. The leader of this group, when hearing about my invite, made sure that I would be prepped for whatever happened. She made sure that I would know who everyone else is, and made sure that no matter what happened, that the malicious force at work here would not win.”

“And what malicious force is it?” Miss Green scoffed.

“An organization dedicated to ending the world is here, and is planning on recruiting the survivors.”

“And what makes you think we would join them? Or you?” asked Yuuna.

“I don't care if you join me or not. But this second organization, this… malicious force… they claim they want to save the world. In reality, they are going to destroy it.”

“And why should we believe you?” asked Miss Green.

“Because I can vouch for her.”

The room fell into silence once again. The person who answered was someone they had never expected to hear from again.

“What, did Léonide screw up the connection? Can they not hear me?” asked the disembodied voice of Nio coming from a small device in the palm of Léonide’s hand.

“You're… you're alive?” was all Rosalia could manage.

“What, I told you I'd be back. And besides, I wasn't even in the body I was using. Dás rigged me up to a sort of, I don't know, avatar I could use to interact with the party. And as such, once Navy grabbed the connection device, he could let me communicate through this!”

“Then why did he kill the body you were in?” Yuuna asked.

“Because, the line used to control the body was compromised by the Ringleader. Someone took control of the line, and I was worried they would frame me with the murder of Mr. Gray. When that didn't work, they had to take matters into their own hands.” 

“So then, who's the Ringleader?” asked Miss Green.

“I think it's you, Miss Green.” replied Rosalia.

“Why me?”

“You've been acting suspicious all day. You didn't have an alibi for either death, and you had the perfect time frame to kill Mr. Gray.”

“True, but if I was the Ringleader, couldn't I manipulate the cameras?”

“Not if you couldn't get to them.”

“But the note on the door would have let me in there whenever I wanted.”

And then, Miss Blue dropped the four words that utterly convicted Miss Green.

“There wasn't a note.”

“Excuse me?” asked Elise.

“Sorry. The last trial… when she entered the camera room. There wasn't a note on the door.”

“You could have said something earlier.” replied Nio.

“Eh. You taught me flair for the dramatics, dear leader.”

“You could have gone without revealing the whole leader of the secret organization part. Or even the whole secret society part at all.”

“What, you weren't going to recruit them?”

While the two were bickering, Rosalia looked at Miss Green. She was chuckling quietly to herself.

“What's so funny, Íde? Laughing because you got caught?” Rosalia asked.

“No, no. Sorry. It's because I can't believe they only caught one of us.”

“One of us?”

“Yes, dear Rosalia. They only found the Ringleader. They haven't found the Mastermind just yet.”

“You could just tell us.” Nio said with apathy in her voice.

“Oh, but that would be less fun than if she just confessed!”

Everyone fell into silence again, waiting for one of them to confess. Then, someone did.

“……I'm apparently the Mastermind.”  
\----------------------  
Elise watched as the Mastermind pulled out a piece of paper from a pocket. She recognized it as the secret almost everyone got at the beginning of the game. The Mastermind uncurled it, revealing the written words inside:

“Rosalia’s Secret:  
Rosalia Dores is the Mastermind of this game, even though she doesn't know it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. This is the start of the endgame, and where from this point on, we will have a different lead character to follow. Any guesses?
> 
> (As always, thanks for reading, and I will see you on the other side.)


	6. Chapter 6, or looking back.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mastermind is revealed and secrets are announced.

Elise Fortuna watched as Rosalia Dores, also known as Miss Lavender, revealed herself to be the Mastermind behind this cursed party. She couldn’t believe it. It didn’t make sense.

“You can’t be serious!” she exclaimed.

“Apparently I am. Can’t say I like it either.”

“Explain yourself Green!”

Íde smiled. “Of course! Alternatively, we could just give her back the memories and have her explain herself!”

“…do it Íde.” reluctantly said Miss Lavender.

“As you wish.” Íde smiled, walked over to Rosalia, and smacked her on the back of the head.

“WHAT WAS THAT FOR?” shouted Elise.

“Relax, idiot. I have a hidden sigil or something on the back of her head. It bound her memories.” Íde walked back to her original spot.

“Is… is she ok?” asked Léonide.

Rosalia Dores then promptly collapsed onto the ground.

“Did you kill her?!” asked Aurora.

“I didn't, she'll be back up in just a second.”

And if on cue, Rosalia rose back up. Her eyes had a dangerous glint in them they didn't before.

“Hello all. It's nice to have all my memories back. You could have taken out less, Íde. All you needed to remove was Maverick.”

“What can I say, wanted to balance it out. You were too smart to make it a fair flight. Had to remove some stuff.”

“Whatever. Rosalia Dores, that's me for the slow people out there, am the Mastermind. I planned all of this out, for… quite simply? My amusement. I picked everyone here, and had Íde take control of Gray. Was incredibly simple, threatening him into this. Remarkable the few simple words you can say to convince someone to set up a murder mystery with them as the target. Anyways, I guess you want some more explanation on Maverick or whatever. I didn't join Íde because I believed in her revolution or anything, but like, because she was nothing more than a pawn in the game. I was the true Mastermind behind everything. It was funny, too. Even though my memories are adjusted, I still knew what was going on in some way. Anyways, Maverick. Maverick is a group Ïde is part of, or whatever. Don't let her fool you, she's nothing more than a pawn in that. It's a group dedicated to… you know? It doesn't really matter, does it. They're just idiots.”

“Lavender, this isn't you… is it?” asked Elizabeth/Blue.

“Afraid so, Meral. This is the real me. So intelligent none of you even stand close to me.”

“Well now, that's not entirely the case, is it?”

“What was that Nio? The partycrasher? The mystery? Do me a favor and reveal yourself to me.”

“Afraid I can't show up in person. Far enough away that no one could find me.”

“Then at the very least, you could tell me your name.”

“Which one?”

“Any of them, other than Nio.”

“I am known by many names. I am the eldest goddess of Velikiy, I am the high priestess of Dóchas. I am the echo in the back of your mind. I am the fell star that consumes the darkness. You cannot define me by one name.”

This stopped Rosalia.

“You… you can't be. Those are all different legends.”

“The thing with legends is that they aren't always true, dear.”

“…alright. You win.”

“Of course I do, Rosalia. You may be the Mastermind, but compared to me, you're merely a pawn. Which makes Íde, what? A speck of dust?”

“I suppose you're right.”

A gun clicked.

“Stop. Calling. Me. A. Pawn!” yelled Íde, who was pointing a large pistol at Rosalia.

“Léonide, status?”

“Miss Nio, I believe Íde is threatening us.”

“Well then. That's less than ideal.”

Rosalia rolled her violet and golden eyes. “Of course you would resort to violence. But, let's change topics. Anyone else have any questions?”

Aurora looked dead into Rosalia’s three eyes. “Why is your personality different? Only your memories were changed.”

“Excellent question, Aurora! Well, you see, the memories like make up my personality. Remove enough of them, or whatever, and you alter my personality! Funny how that works. I'll ask you a question. What world are you from? Truly from?”

“What do you mean… I'm from Halla, like you!”

“Which one? Was it, per se, 16? The one where everyone died due to an idiotic power hungry tyrant? You couldn't even stop him? No, of course not. You didn't even stay to fight. I know all about you Aurora. I read up on the Kan-Yon incident.”

Aurora went silent.

“I know all about everyone here. Yuuna Kallie, the world class detective who couldn't solve a case that keeps her up at night. You know the one I'm talking about. Elizabeth Meral, a famed scientist who almost managed to kill Rémálom! How did you even manage that! Elise Fortuna, who almost killed someone when she couldn't control her other luckier side! Léonide Narcisse, who could barely scrape together a plan, and I saw right through it! Not to mention not being able to find the cure to the poison, putting Yuuna at risk by taking Finnian out! And finally, Íde Aileas. The one who somehow forgot to plan for anything! God, you are worthless! How did you even get into Maverick?!”

The room fell into silence, as everyone relived their lowest moment. Except for Ïde, who was just laughing.

“Did you forget to remember I'm pointing a gun at your head? I'm not exactly a great shot, but I can still hit someone point blank!”

“I was counting on it.” 

Rosalia jumped on Íde. A struggle ensued over the gun. Elise could just stand there, unable to move. The person she considered a friend, someone she honestly enjoyed spending time with, had made her relive the worst moment of her life. The time Zás had come out, and almost killed someone by sheer coincidence. It would be comical if not for the fact someone almost died. Everything went wrong at once, and she only saw the aftermath of what happened. The man lived, barely, but she could never forgive herself for letting that happen. Gods, it wrecked her. And such, she stared at the struggle on the ground. Both girls had a hand on the gun. She knew she should step in, but to do what? She started to run over, but then, a gunshot rang out across the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe we made it this far. The penultimate chapter. 
> 
> (As always, thank you for reading, and see you on the other side.)


	7. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale.

A gunshot. A blur. Elise ran over to the struggle on the ground. Blood pooled on the ground. Rosalia looked up.

“I'm… I'm sorry.”

And then, Rosalia slipped into unconsciousness.  
\------------------------  
Elise paced outside the room Léonide had set up as a makeshift emergency room. She entered the room, like she did every five minutes on the dot. She hadn't fallen asleep, she just walked. She knew it was the dawn of the seventh day. No matter what happened, she was leaving. She entered the room, and saw her. Rosalia Dores was sitting up in bed, eyes open.

“Are you okay?” asked Elise, since she didn't know what to say.

“Yeah… yeah. Just some mental trauma or whatever. Wait until you see what I did to the other girl.”

“…Íde is dead.”

“I know. She got shot through the heart. There was no way she was surviving.”

“Really though. Are you okay?”

“I'm really not. I'm so sorry Elise. I shouldn't have brought it up. I just couldn't risk you interfering in the struggle. I couldn't let anyone else get hurt.”

“Idiot. You could have gotten yourself killed!”

“I know. I knew. I figured at the very least, I could put up a front and drive you all away. Either I would win, and you all would hate me, or… you wouldn't miss me or whatever. I don't know, I'm not good with this emotion stuff. The sigil that removed all of my memories apparently messed with my head. Made me feel things too strong or something.”

“Aurora took a look at the sigil. It really didn't do anything other than repress a few memories.”

“Elise Fortuna, are you saying I'm an emotional wreck?”

“I do believe I am saying that, Rosalia Dores.”

“Gods I have so much to apologize for. I hope no one is really upset.”

“Nio’s been helping you out. Did she actually know you before all this?”

“Never met her once.”

“Then that's one more thing to thank her for. Who is she, anyways? In your opinion, that is.”

“Truth be told? I have no idea. She mentioned a bunch of different legends, and claimed she was all of them. Zás is the oldest goddess in Velikiy, but it isn't her. Right? The high priestess of Dóchas is… an interesting legend. In legends, she is a powerful trickster Faerie. She helped people out though, so I think she's good. The fell star that consumes the darkness is the oldest legend in Velikiy. A star descended from the sky, taking on a mortal form. Bright white hair, and dark skin. Legends have it she destroyed the first Sötet, by shining a powerful inferno of light on it. All of these legends contradict each other in terms of timeframe. But, I know this for sure. She's a friend to us.”

“About what I figured, honestly. Thank her when you go back. They’re all waiting by the gates. They are rigged to open up soon, apparently.”

“Thank you. For everything. You're… you're too nice.”

“I know. Get out there, they're waiting on us.”  
\----------------------------  
Rosalia crept back to the front gate. She was really hoping no one would notice her. Of course, that kinda failed when Elise announced she was alive. Everyone stopped dead in their conversations.

“Hey guys… sorry for scaring you.”

Immediately, Aurora walked over to Rosalia, hugged her, and then smacked her across the face.

“Yep… I deserve that. Or whatever…”

“You jerk! I understand where you were coming from, but you really are a jerk!”

“Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. I shouldn't have brought up those memories. I just couldn't let you fight that battle.”

“No one really blames you, Rosalia.” added Elizabeth.

“I do.” chimed Aurora, who was just glaring at Rosalia.

“So, on a different note, who won?” asked Elise.

“Maverick. Oh, you meant the game! Uhh… you all, I believe. What will you do with the house? I hear secret lairs are all the rage these days! And S.A.V.E. would be lucky to have you!” Nio replied.

“S.A.V.E?” asked Elizabeth and Rosalia in unison.

“I decided on a name! The Society Against Velikiy’s Enemies! Save! Eh? Eh?”

“Nio. You are no longer in charge of naming anything.” sighed Elizabeth.

“Yeah I know.”

“So, all in favor of joining S.A.V.E and becoming full time conspirators? And refurbishing the house to a base?” asked Léonide.

It was a unanimous decision.

“I still want to use it occasionally for non secret uses, if that's alright.” Aurora said.

“Go nuts. In the meantime, now that that's settled, I must ride into the proverbial sunset. Don't worry. You'll be seeing me soon.” replied Nio, for the final time. 

And then the communicator exploded in Léonide’s hand. While he cursed, Rosalia looked off into the distance. There was a long road ahead of them, and it was up to them to travel it. It wouldn't be easy helping out Velikiy, but they would try. They had to. For the sake of all who perished here, except for maybe Íde. The lock to the gates clicked, as they swung open. Rosalia looked to all her friends, and then stepped out. She breathed in, closed her eyes, and then Rosalia Dores left the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. See you on the other side.


	8. A preview of the Factory.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple preview of my next work, a horror narrative similar to this one, with a different cast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a short preview of my next work, it's not required to read.

Alex Barnes did not believe in any sort of gods or higher power. He didn't really need to. This might seem a little odd, considering he had met gods, but this was less a philosophical belief. He simply, if he was being honest to himself, didn't care one way or another. Being a monster hunter in Dóchas, he didn't really think gods mattered all that much. What mattered was stopping Wraiths, saving people, and living. The gods couldn't really interfere in his life, and they would outlive him. So it's not like it mattered if they believed in each other, only his job mattered. His disbelief in higher powers made his first dream about the Factory really odd.  
\-------------------------  
Everyone in Dóchas knew the Factory. It existed as a tall beacon of progress you can see from any settlement or major city. It stood tall and intimidating, but in a way that signified safety rather than malicious intent. Alex had been inside the Factory before, everyone had. However, he knew that the Factory he saw was only a small sliver of what it truly was. As a monster hunter, Alex had permission to explore anywhere, so long as he believed someone was in danger. He also had access to a bunch of blueprints, including one for the Factory. It spread out underground like a labyrinth, with twists and turns that would disorient even the toughest or most intelligent explorer. The first dream he had of the Factory came on October 31st, 5664 TIC. It was an odd dream, but not a particularly memorable one once he awoke. He figured it was about a woman he had met before, maybe rescued her? No, she was holding her own in a fight. She said something about… a web? He didn't know what to think. He just continued his life, until the next dream hit.  
\--------------------------------  
The dream started out the same as the first. Alex was watching through the eyes of a woman he didn't know. She was stuck in a hall of mirrors. He could catch glimpses of what she looked like. She was tall, with short purple hair. She was wearing what looked to be a full suit of armor, and she wielded two twin blades. She was fighting what looked to be a horde of glass humanoid figures with no face. They shattered on one hit, but there were so many. Her voice rang out before she was completely surrounded.

“Come on… help me out already!”

And then she fell.  
\------------------------  
The dream was disorienting, to say the least. Alex didn't think much of it, other than a typical nightmare that comes with the job. The mirror room was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Alex went about his normal day of patrolling Helios. There wasn't much to do in the city of the wealthy, but the money was good and the work was easy. At most, all Alex had to do was occasionally stomp out a weak Wraith or occasionally annoy a Faerie into leaving. Even better for him, there were a couple other monster hunters he was on good terms with who patrolled Helios as well. That night, after a long day of hardly working, he went to bed.   
\---------------------------  
The third dream started off the same as all the others. He was looking through the eyes of a woman he didn't recognize. However, this time it was a little different. Instead of starting in the mirror hall, the dream started somewhere he recognized. It was the halls of the Factory in the center of Dóchas. The hall was empty and bleak. Alex watched the woman walk nervously down the hall, blades at the ready. 

“Seriously, you need to get here soon. I'm at a weird factory… place. Currently I'm in a mirror hall. Help me as soon as you get my message. Thanks.”

The woman turned her head, to see a mirror in the side of the hall. Alex didn't think it was there before. She turned to face the mirror, but in the reflection, stood Alex. Mirror Alex beckoned the woman in. The woman put her hand on the glass, and it rippled around her hand. Dream Alex grabbed the hand, and pulled her in. Alex awoke in a daze.  
\-----------------------  
Once Alex awoke, he realized he needed to search the Factory. Even if it was just a dream, he needed reassurance. He hopped on the first train he could find, and called in a couple favors from the other hunters to take his shifts. Eventually, he arrived at the Factory. It was incredibly tall up close, and he had to strain his head to look to see the top. He entered the Factory, and went over to the desk worker.

“Oh, hello! Are you here for a tour?”

“Sorry, but no. I'm here on official business. I believe someone is trapped here.” he pulled out a card, detailing his monster hunter status.

The desk worker looked at the card in his gloved hand, and smiled. “Would you like a map, sir?”

“If you wouldn't mind, I would really appreciate that.”

The desk worker handed him a map. He smiled back, and took it. He studied it a bit, before pocketing it.

“Thank you so much.”

“I hope you find your missing persons!”

And Alex left to find the woman.  
\----------------------  
The halls of the Factory were dark. He tried to search for the woman, but all the hallways were empty. It didn't help that they all looked the same, and there were countless amounts of them surrounding and connecting the different manufacturing and assembly lines. All the same color, all the same light level of barely. He turned the corner cautiously, seeing another hall. He sighed, and continued down. However, it was a dead end. He went to turn around, and saw a large mirror blocking him from escaping. There was a plaque in the wall next to the mirror, and he read it.

“Mirrors, doors, lies,  
Where you will find allies.  
Gears, skies, then death,  
Where one will take a final breath.  
Escape the web or suffer damnation,  
But at the core you can claim liberation.”  
\----------------------  
~To be continued~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea when this is coming out honestly. Hoping to get at least the first 5 chapters done before posting, just to make a buffer.

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, that was chapter one. This series is going to be about 7-8 chapters long, by my counts, including a bonus chapter at the end detailing all hidden interactions.
> 
> (Thanks for reading, and I will meet you on the other side.)


End file.
